 Hello, this is NationBeat. I am General Norville bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Lucia. The Minister for the Public Service addresses concerns on the implementation of the Border Control Unit. A global school health survey is set to begin here next week. Kuwait's newly appointed Ambassador to St. Lucia discusses tangible gains with Governor-General is Excellency Neville Snack and Helping St. Lucia understand Alzheimer's. Minister for Public Service Senator the Honourable Dr. Eubolus Raymond has addressed concerns on the implementation of the Border Control Unit. Highlighting the importance of the Customs and Excise Department, he clarified government's intentions for the unit during this week's Cabinet Press Briefing. He revealed that Cabinet had appointed a Staring Committee and an Implementation Team to oversee the process, however some unexpected issues developed. The consultation that was done by the Implementation Team was not a comprehensive one and we found out that the most important department was not consulted and that was the Customs Department and personally I believe it's a flaw in the consultation process because if you are dealing with a Border Control which consists mainly of Customs Officers and for the consultation to not have included the Customs Department anything coming out of this consultation to me it is very weak and very flawed and I understand very well the concerns of the Customs Officers but I want to make clear, very clear that the government will not statorise the new Border Control, it will not be a statutory corporation where Customs Officers will reapply for positions as being set out there in the media and social media especially. I want to make it very very clear because government understands the importance of Customs Department. Customs provides 55% of recurrent revenues for government, the central government we are talking about in the region of over $500 million. So that's clearly cannot be and will not be the policy of government to put the Border Control as a statutory organization. So I want to make it to assure that the Customs Officers that the whole talk about their reapplying for positions and stuff like that this will not happen with this government. It's my understanding also that the consultation was not had not even included of the steering committee. Again, another major flaw of that consultation process. So I want to make clear again that the government is or the consultation will continue and in due time when we come out the government decides to make a formal presentation to the public as far as where we are going with the Border Control. But in the meantime, even before this report is completed, I want to make it clear that the model of statorisation is not the thinking of government and having discussions with the Customs Officers, they are not in support of such a cooperation. The ambassador of Kuwait to St. Lucia presented his credentials to Governor-General, his Excellency Sir Emmanuel Neville Snack on September 6. In his presentation, his Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Fadel Khalif stated that Kuwait and St. Lucia after being occupied by the British share many common values. So we share a lot of values with your country. Kuwait was a British protectorate and I remember my father and my grandfather, my ancestors, they were at that time British subject. The Governor-General also vividly recalled the invasion of Kuwait during his stint as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. During your country's worst nightmare, as Minister of Foreign Affairs and in support of the intervention, I stretched in the United Nations General Assembly the evacuation of the intruder, be by any means, perhaps one of the strongest statements made. So in receiving your credentials Ambassador, I feel good for St. Lucia and I were there with you. The Governor-General praised the enfranchisement of women in Kuwait, while Ambassador Khalif expressed his intention to work to attain tangible results during his stint as Ambassador. The Department of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the Pan-American Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control will be conducting the Global School Health Survey from Monday, September 10, 2018 and this will continue until Friday, September 21, 2018. The survey is implemented globally using the same data collection questionnaire. This allows for comparison of the data generated by all the participating countries. This survey looks at all the aspects of the health of students aged 13 to 17 in the secondary schools. It is done every five years and this survey is done in collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. The survey questionnaire will be administered during one regular class period in randomly selected classes from Form 1 to Form 5 of all secondary schools in St. Lucia as well as the Sa'af or Lewis Community College. We want to be able to collaborate with the parents so that we actually have permission to conduct the survey with their students, their children. We're asking you to give them permission so that they can actually take part in the survey which is very useful because the information we gather from the survey we will use to improve the health of the students. The survey explores protective as well as behavioral risk factors which affect the overall health of the student population. Meanwhile a cohort of persons was trained to deliver and implement the PAHO Stanford University chronic disease self-management program throughout different communities on the island. More in this report from Miguel Morissette. The Ministry of Health and Wellness continues to train persons in chronic disease self-management. On Sunday, September 2, 2018, a graduation ceremony was held for 40 home health workers from the castries east constituency. The chronic disease self-management program is a six-week course that trains individuals to best manage themselves and others who have chronic disease such as diabetes, hypertension, cancers, asthma and other heart conditions. In attendance was Minister for Health and Wellness, Senator the Honourable Mary Isaac, who congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments. I want to say that you have gained valuable experience even in dealing with your personal daily lives. You have learned a lot and that is commendable. So congratulations to a job well done. I know what some of you went through to be where you are here today and even when you started and you thought what is this six-week training program it's so long and everything and look at everybody here looking so so happy and so contented and satisfied that they put their best foot forward and they have accomplished something so worthwhile to our society, to our community, to the entire country and especially for the clients that need you so very much. Senator the Honourable Fortuna Bellrose, who also attended the graduation ceremony, reminded the home health workers of the important responsibility. You have been entrusted with the care of our vulnerable citizens, most of whom have made their contribution to society. They have murdered our children, they have fathered our children, they have worked and contributed to this economy and for various reasons they need our help, they need your help and so no matter how poor, how frail, how indigent they appear now, you each must treat those clients with respect and afford them courtesy, dignity and care and the care that you would want for yourself when you get to that age and when you get to that point because we will get there one day. We want a standard of care in Cassarise so that when we send one carer, even if she's not there the replacement may be even better. That's what we want in Cassarise so we need to have that passion, we need to feel it so that when we deliver we can deliver with the class and standard that people will want to have us back. The journey continues as the Ministry of Health and Wellness continues its thrust at reducing uncontrolling chronic disease, first creating a healthier nation. The graduation ceremony was held at the Entryville Community Centre. From the communications unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Miguel Morris said reporting. This is nation beat. After the break the OECS commission renews its relationship with the Deborah Combined School and the SLTA to host the 7th annual St Lucia UK Tourism Showcase. Imagine last night I caught a rat. Look I have it there from the bone. Listen to me. Thank you. The government cannot do everything. Look at your surroundings. You have breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rats. The mosquitoes can't give you zika, chicken gunia, dengue, yellow fever. The rats can't give you leptospirosis and why are you sitting so close to that rat? You know the rats can't give you leptospirosis so come with me. Let's go and look at your surrounding and see what we can do to make a difference and make a change. All right well let's go. You see that we have to do something about that. You have a home for the rats. You have food for the rats. You have coconut husk with water in it. That's breeding ground for mosquitoes. We have to do something about that. Let's clean there. Okay. All right. Nice try. Pinky what the drum cover doing there? That should be sealed on the drum correctly. I forgot that. That's how mosquitoes can breed you know. Pinky how are you? You need to play a part you know. All right I'll try. Pinky come. Let me show you that. You seen that? That's my garbage doing there. That's why I put in all my garbage. But you cannot have it open like that. That's where the rats can go and eat. Okay I didn't know that. You cannot have that. And you saying this is a government? You have to take accountability of your own action. Keep it sealed. Okay all right. Okay mock up one. Look at this tire. That's a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. We have to get rid of that water. Okay all right. Okay all right. Let's put it under the house. Okay. After we have removed all the water we can put it in a place where it won't collect water. Okay. Okay all right. Let's put it under the house all right. Okay all right. So let's see if under there. Okay so when it is there it will not collect water to breed mosquitoes. Yeah man. Yeah man. Okay okay all right very good. So you see Pinky these are some of the changes you can make. Be that change. Pest must go. This message was brought to you by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. For further information contact the Environmental Health Department at 468-3700 or 468-3706. Be that change. Pest must go. Welcome back. More than 150 travel trade partners in the United Kingdom will take part in a week-long series of events and meeting schedule for the 2018 St. Lucia UK Tourism Showcase. The event will culminate with the St. Lucia Gala Awards which recognizes the contributions of the travel trade partners to St. Lucia's tourism industry more from Anicia Antoine. St. Lucia recently listed by Virtuoso as a premier destination of travel agents will be hosting its seventh annual showcase in the UK from September 10th to the 15th of 2018. The showcase allows for business personnel from a variety of agencies such as UK tour operators, travel agents, airlines and media to meet with the local hotels and tourism partners in St. Lucia to create more exposure and make the island's tourism industry more resilient. We just touch everyone in the market to make them understand that St. Lucia is very grateful for everything that they do with us and that we intend to strengthen that business going forward. And essentially this is our opportunity to celebrate all of our partners in the UK to thank them for all of the things that they do for St. Lucia, for all of the business they send to us and really to just do a lot of things with our partners while we're there. Because of the way the UK market is structured it's quite different from the US and that's the one that you saw at Harbor Club. It's better for us to get into the market to actually touch the market. We don't touch the UK market as often while we do have a wonderful team there because the US is closer obviously it's easier to travel there in terms of our executive team. So for our executive team this is an opportunity for everyone to get out there to see and touch everyone in the UK to be able to meet with the media to talk to the journalists one on one something that we get to do once or twice a year. So this is very important for us to get to them and to see them in their own market. The St. Lucia Tourism Authority delegation will include Tiffany Howard, Chief Marketing Officer of the SLHTA and Darren Sammy, St. Lucia and Cricketer who will be accompanying the Minister for Tourism, Honorable Dominic Fede. The St. Lucia Tourism Authority successfully hosted the North American Showcase in July. It was a very very encouraging year for us in that we saw the island recording its best year in tourism arrival numbers. I think that the Air and Seaports Authority suggested we had some 386,000 passengers for the first time in the history of tourism in our country. This partnership is critical to our economic and social development because the tourism satellite accounts suggest that every single dollar that is spent in our country about 65 cents come from tourism. The United Kingdom is one of St. Lucia's main source markets. In 2017, St. Lucia received a record of 1.1 million visitor arrivals recording the highest growth of all Caribbean tourism organization members. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antwan reporting. In preparation for the new school year, a delegation from the OECS Commission visited the Debarra Combined School in Barbano to deliver school supplies and backpacks donated through staff contributions. The Debarra School, the organization's adopted school, was selected because of its remote location and the recommendations from staff to support this community. The principal welcomed the gesture by the OECS Commission. We know that not all of our parents are able to provide our students with the necessities and so we are extremely grateful that the OECS and its staff have chosen the Debarra Primary School to provide this token. Such initiatives don't come all the time and so when it does happen, there is an immense feeling of gratitude that we have and we just want to say thank you. Our students would say thank you and our parents I'm sure they're immensely gracious for your tokens of friendship. St. Lucia's Artist Taj Weeks has made a donation of 500 bicycles, half of which has been received by the Government of St. Lucia. Weeks who is based in the United States has been on a campaign to improve the overall health of his countrymen. Through his foundation, they often cry outreach token. Weeks has over the years worked directly with the St. Lucia Diabetic and Hypertensive Association. We hear more from Anisia Antoine. As of 2017, the International Diabetes Federation recorded 14,200 cases of diabetes in adults in St. Lucia. In an effort to decrease the high rate of diabetes, the They Often Cry Outreach Toco Foundation, co-founded by Taj Weeks, has donated 500 bicycles to the people of St. Lucia. The handing over was held at the office of the Prime Minister. I was told that there was 1.5 bikes to every person in Switzerland so there were millions of bikes and people were leaving the bikes when they sat around. So I asked if I could get those bikes. We were able to arrange something and here we are with 500 bikes. On behalf of Toco and the government of St. Lucia, I am really happy we were able to bring this here because you know our situation with diabetes. We started a documentary about four years ago on diabetes and from the time we started to the time, to this day, nothing really is changed. The sedentary lifestyle is one of the main reasons why we are in the situation. Of the 500 bicycles which were shipped from Switzerland, 250 will be given to the government of St. Lucia for distribution and the remainder will be given to the Diabetic and Hypertension Association to develop creative ways to make a healthy lifestyle more attractive. Newly elected president of the St. Lucia Diabetic and Hypertension Association, Andrew Felix, expressed his gratitude towards the Toco Foundation and the government. He stated that it is incumbent on citizens to preserve their lives. With the donation of those bikes, not only will it go a long way in alleviating our health problems that we face, as Staj indicated, we are afflicted with several sedentary lifestyle diseases, mainly diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and obesity. And I think if we can get our people active, if we can get our people moving again, we would have gone a long way in alleviating that problem. The significance of doing so for us as a government is manyfold in the sense that not only will our people be healthier, we'll be cutting down our health bill, because those diseases that have been mentioned are not just in isolation associated with those diseases are several complications like organ failures that lead to dialysis, expensive treatment, amputations and these have other implications that can affect family life. The bicycles donated arranged from adult bikes to children push bikes. The Minister for Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment urges drivers to be more careful and consider it on the roads with the expected increase in cyclists. From the Government Information Service, I am Manicia Antoine reporting. September is World Alzheimer's Month. Worldwide and estimated 35 million people and their families are affected by dementia. To help raise awareness, the St Lucia Alzheimer's and Dementia Association will be holding activities around the island. Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behaviour. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe even to interfere with daily tasks. Many are mistaken in thinking that Alzheimer's is a normal part of aging, however this is far from the truth. Associations were collectively trying to bring the awareness about the disease and so though Alzheimer's Disease International was trying to support other associations and they came together to bring awareness and what they did was did interesting things in the month. Which was like light, a whole building, purple and things like that just to bring the awareness and they were trying to find ways to collectively globally bring awareness because they knew at that time there was probably 35 million people at that time who were who were affected by the disease. Throughout the month the association will be holding memory cafes, information and memory clinics with one to be held at the JQ Mall Grosillais this coming Saturday. Angels of the West Indies has a lot of information on the website, just google angelsofthewestindies.com. The phone number is 486-4509 and we're more than happy to send you information. The website has some and then they'll also link to the association. We're in the process of developing the one for the association specifically but on Facebook there's a group, the St. Louis Alzheimer's and so there's a list of information on there. There's lots of files, the warning signs and all of that. With purple being the internationally recognized color which represents the disease the association has asked the public to wear something purple to work every Friday throughout the month of September in support of those suffering, their families and the need for further research. And that's Nation Beat. Join us next time as we fill the pulse and heart of our community. I am General Norville.